Sec 1 Rainforests

Chapter 3
Tropical Rainforest
How Can We Save The
Rainforest?
Think about this!
How did the name tropical rainforest come about?
TROPICAL FOREST
RAIN
Tropical Rainforest
In this section, you will explore these Guiding
Questions:
1. What are tropical rainforests?
2. What is deforestation?
3. Where are tropical rainforests found and which
areas have been deforested?
4. Why does deforestation occur?
5. How does deforestation impact people and the
environment?
6. How should we manage deforestation?
Tropical Rainforest
Questions:
environment?
Which photo do you think shows a tropical rainforest?

A B
C D
Which photo do you think shows a tropical rainforest?

Satellite image of Singapore
Where are the tropical rainforest located in Singapore?

Characteristics of tropical rainforest
• Thick and luxuriant, broadleaved, evergreen
forests
• Found in areas that experience high rainfall
(about 1,500 – 2,500 mm annually) and high
temperature (about 26oC) throughout the year
• Diversity of plant species
• Structure of tropical rainforest
• Adaptation of plants
Diversity of plant species
• Hot and wet environment gives rise to rich
biodiversity (range of plant and animal species found
in an area)
In Amazon rainforest in In forests in
South America United Kingdom
300 different plant species 40 plant species
within 0.01 km2 within 27,000 km2
(1 football field)
Diversity of plant species
• Different types of food can be found:
– Fruits (e.g. bananas, mangoes)
– Spices (e.g. pepper, cinnamon)
– Vegetables (e.g. corn, pandan)
– Nuts (e.g. Brazil nuts, walnuts)
Structure of the tropical rainforest
A tropical rainforest has primarily three layers:
• Emergent layer (above 30 m)
• Canopy layer (20–30 m)
• Undergrowth layer (below 20 m)

Characteristics of tropical
rainforest
Structure of the tropical
rainforest
• Emergent layer (above 30
m)
– Trees in this layer usually
have tall, straight and
smooth trunks with few
branches
– E.g. Tualang tree, Kapok
tree
Characteristics of
tropical rainforest
rainforest
• Canopy layer (20 – 30
m)
– Trees grow close
together (dense)
– Crowns interlock to
form an almost
continuous cover
Structure of the tropical rainforest
Canopy layer (20 – 30 m)
• Lianas: Thick, • Epiphytes: Plants
woody vines that which grow on trees
twine up trees (includes ferns,
orchids, mosses,
lichens)
Dense unbroken
canopy blocks
up 90% of sun’s
rays from
reaching forest
floor
Characteristics of tropical
rainforest
rainforest
• Undergrowth layer (below 20
m)
– Vegetation is sparse and
poorly developed
– They have much larger
leaves compared to those in
the other layers
– Thin layer of leaf litter
Adaptation of plants
• Bark and branches
– Tall, straight trunks with
branches spread out near the
top of the trees
• Helps trees to obtain the
maximum amount of sunlight
– Smooth bark
• Allows rainwater to flow
easily from the crown to the
roots of the trees
• Leaves
– Leaves are broad
• Helps trees capture sunlight for photosynthesis
– Leaves have waxy, leathery or hairy surfaces
• Helps to minimise the loss of moisture through
transpiration due to the high temperatures
• Leaves
– narrow, downward pointing
tips (drip tips)
• Allow water to run off easily
• Prevents fungi and bacteria
from growing on the leaves
• Fruit and flowers
– Air is usually still (lack of wind)
which is hard for seed dispersal and Fruit of the cacao plant
pollination by wind
• Fruits and flowers are colourful and
strong-smelling to attract insects
and other animals to assist in seed
dispersal and pollination
Rafflesia, the world’s
largest flower
• Roots
– Buttress roots which grow
from 1 – 5 m above the
ground
• To support the heavy
weight of tall trees
• Roots
– Shallow roots
• Nutrients from the rapid decomposition of fallen leaves
and branches are mostly found in the top layer of the
soil
• Water is available throughout the year
Uses of tropical rainforest
• Water catchment
• Green lungs of the earth
• Habitat to flora (plants) and fauna (animals)
• Habitat to indigenous people
• Source of timber
• Medical application
Water catchment
• Area drained by a river and the smaller rivers that
flow into it
Rain falls in tropical rainforests
Trees stop rain from reaching the ground directly
Water slowly drips from the trees
Seeps into the ground and is Flows as runoff into the rivers
stored as groundwater or reservoirs
Contributes to water supply
Water catchment (Singapore)
• Central Catchment Nature
Reserve lies within one of the
biggest water catchment in
Singapore
• Supplies water for our daily
needs through four reservoirs
• Forests surrounding these
reservoirs are protected to
maintain the quality of water
Green lungs of the earth
– Plants absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
and release oxygen (photosynthesis)
– More than 20% of the earth’s oxygen is generated by
the Amazon rainforest
• Dense vegetation of tropical rainforests keeps the
earth cool
Green lungs of the earth
• Tropical rainforests act as the earth’s natural air
purifier
– Absorb about 2.4
billion tonnes of
carbon dioxide in
one year (includes
almost 1/3 of the
CO2 emissions given
off when fossil fuels
are burnt)
Habitat to flora (plants) and fauna (animals)
• Home to more than 2 million species (1/2 of world’s
species)
Habitat to flora (plants) and fauna (animals)
• Abundance and diversity of flora and fauna
– Ample sunlight is converted by the plants into energy
and food (photosynthesis) which allows plants to
thrive
 In turn, the plants are eaten by animals for survival
– Continuous canopy is a habitat where other plants can
grow and animals can live in
Habitat to indigenous people
• 60 million indigenous people
(original inhabitants of a country)
are wholly dependent on the
tropical rainforest
• Many of them have been living in
tropical rainforests for thousands
of years
e.g. Yanomami in the Amazon rainforest,
Penan in the rainforest in Sarawak
An indigenous group living in the
Amazon rainforest
• Tropical rainforests provide these people with daily
necessities such as food, clothing and medicine
• They obtain food by either hunting and gathering
(hunt fish, gather wild fruit and nuts), or agriculture
(growing of crops)
[As such, they are known as hunter-gatherers or shifting
cultivators]
• Shifting cultivation
– They grow their own plants for food and medicine
(just enough for themselves)
– They first clear the land by burning the vegetation
– When the nutrients in the soil are used up and the
soil cannot support the growing of any more plants,
they would move to another plot of land in the
forest
– The original plot is left to regain its fertility naturally
Source of timber
• Timber refers to the the wood (e.g. teak, ebony,
mahogany and meranti) used to build or make things
such as doors, window frames and furniture
• Tropical rainforests supply about 1/5 of the world’s
industrial timber
• Also, tropical rainforest provide fuel wood to people
for cooking
Medical application
• Tropical rainforests are known as ‘the world’s largest
pharmacy’ Many of the foods (e.g. Brazil nuts) have
cancer-fighting properties
• In Amazon rainforest, nearly 3,000 plant species have
been identified to have such properties
• Potential medicinal value of tropical rainforest plants
is still largely untapped (99% have yet to be tested)
Medical application
25% of all modern

medicines come
from rainforest
plants
• People value the rainforest for different reasons
Tropical Rainforest
Questions:
environment?
Spot the difference
An area in the Amazon rainforest

Deforestation
It is the cutting down and removal of all or most of the
trees in a forested area
• If it is not managed properly, it can lead to the
permanent destruction and eventual disappearance
of a once renewable resource
1980 1990
Tropical Rainforest 19.1 mil km2 17.9 mil km2
Tropical Rainforest
Questions:
environment?
3a. Where are tropical rainforests
found?
Global distribution of tropical rainforests
• Less than 5% of the earth’s land surface
• Equatorial climate (between latitudes 20° N and 20°
S) where there is abundant sunlight, high
temperatures and heavy rainfall throughout the year
• High temperatures (of more than 26oC, with a range
of 2–3oC) and high rainfall (1,500–2,500mm)
annually
3a. Where are tropical rainforests found?
Southeast
Amazon Basin in Congo Basin
Asia
South America in Africa
World distribution of tropical rainforests

Distribution of tropical rainforests in Singapore
• Many parts of Singapore were originally covered with
rainforests
• After 1819: Rainforests were rapidly cleared to grow
crops and build infrastructure
• 1882: Only 7 per cent of the original rainforests
remained
• Today: Rainforests occupy an area of about 20 km2
(3% of total land area) and are mainly found at the
Central Catchment Nature Reserve and Bukit Timah
Nature Reserve
1819
2006
3b. Which areas have been deforested?
Global distribution of deforested areas of tropical
rainforest
• Rainforests are disappearing at alarming rates
because of human activities:
– Agriculture
– Mining
– Logging
– Land clearance (for housing and industries)
• Remaining rainforests are smaller and broken up into
fragments
rainforest
At least 320 km2 of tropical rainforest disappear each day

rainforest
Areas of tropical rainforest that have been deforested

rainforest
Tropical rainforest loss in some countries

rainforest
• In Borneo, logging is one
of the main reasons that
caused rapid
deforestation.
• If the present rates of
deforestation in the
world continue, our
world’s remaining
rainforests could be gone
Deforestation estimates of tropical
in one hundred years. rainforests in Borneo
Tropical Rainforest
Questions:
environment?
• Agricultural activities
• Cattle ranching
• Logging
• Mining
Agricultural activities
Agriculture is the growing of crops and raising of
animals to provide food
• Shifting cultivation (a form of subsistence farming
activity)
– Have been the traditional cause of deforestation
– Shifting cultivators grow crops for their own use and
consumption
– They allow land to regain its fertility and for
vegetation to regrow when they move to the next
plot of land
As such, does not pose a major threat to the forest
• Large-scale commercial agricultural activities on
plantations
– Burn and clear large areas of the rainforest
– Crops are grown for cash and are sold to meet
both local and global needs
As a result, the rate of deforestation has increased

greatly!
Example:
• By 2010, about 242,000 km2 of
the Amazon rainforest have
been converted into soya bean
farms
– Major ingredient in food for
cattle
– Also, processed into products Large areas of rainforest are being cleared
such as soya milk and tofu for soya bean farms in the Amazon Basin
Example:
• Large areas of rainforest are
converted into commercial oil
palm plantations in Borneo and
An oil palm plantation in Malaysia
Sumatra
• Many everyday products
contain palm oil
e.g. ice cream, chocolate, chips,
soap, toothpaste, pet food
An oil palm plantation in Indonesia

Cattle ranching
Involves operating large farms to raise cattle
• Large areas of rainforest are cleared to create land
for cattle to graze
For example:
• 80% of deforestation in the
Amazon rainforest is caused by
land cleared for cattle ranching
• 1986: Less than 10 million head Large tracts of the Amazon
of cattle rainforest are being lost to cattle
ranching
• 2011: 79 million head of cattle
Cattle ranching
• A large amount of beef from cattle in the Amazon is
exported to other countries (e.g. USA, Britain)
Logging
The cutting down of trees for timber
• Commercial logging of tropical hardwoods (teak,
mahogany, rosewood) to make furniture, building
materials and charcoal
• Growing demand for timber products
 Increases logging activities
Commercial logging is responsible

for destroying 50,000 km2 of
tropical rainforest every year!
Logging
• Logging reduces the number of trees and damages
the rainforest as a whole
Why?
• For every tree extracted, five are badly damaged
(falling tree will destroy the surrounding trees or
smaller-sized plants)
• Also, the soil is exposed to erosion
Logging
Example:
• Japan
– Is one of the world’s biggest consumers of timber
– A lot of wood is used for their buildings and
furniture
– Much of this supply comes from the rainforest in
Borneo
Logging
Example:
• China
– Huge demand for timber for making disposable
chopsticks and paper
– Caused heavy logging in the rainforests of Congo
and Cameroon in Central Africa, Brazil and
Indonesia
Mining
• Precious metals and
gemstones (gold, copper and
diamonds) are found
beneath many tropical
rainforests
• Forests are cleared to
NASA satellite image showing the
establish the mines and extent of deforestation caused by the
Carajás Mine, Brazil
construct roads to transport
the mined materials
Mining
Example:
• Carajás Mine in Brazil has a rich variety of mineral
reserves
• In 2007: 296 million tonnes of iron ore were extracted
(18 billion tonnes of minerals including gold and
copper)
• These minerals are needed to produce electronic
products such as computers and telephones as well as
electrical wires
Although human activities have led to
deforestation, some may view these activities as
key to development:
• The clearing of forests provides land for
communities to build houses, factories, offices
• Roads can be built and this makes trade and
transport easier
• Also, the land can be converted to agricultural land
to allow the production of more food
Tropical Rainforest
Questions:
environment?
5. How does deforestation impact
people and the environment?
Environmental impact
• Loss of biodiversity
• Loss of water catchment areas
• Increased risk of flooding, soil erosion and
sedimentation
• Enhanced greenhouse effect
Economic impact
• Depletion of natural resources
Social impact
• Effects on indigenous people
Loss of biodiversity
• Deforestation destroys the habitats of plants and
animals
• Loss of biodiversity = Loss of the variety of plants
and animals
• Millions of plant and animal species have become
extinct
• As a result, there is lesser variety of resources that
we can obtain from the rainforest
• Plants of medicinal value are lost when a single tree

is cut down in a tropical rainforest
Imagine the loss when thousands of trees are cut
down every day!
• Changes in biodiversity may increase the likelihood
of insect-borne diseases (e.g. malaria, dengue fever)
• The rainforest may grow back (but often not) after
being deforested and if it does, the lack of nutrients
in the soils may not be able to support the
biodiversity that once existed on that land
Loss of watch catchment areas
• Forests play an important role in maintaining our
water supply
• They enable water to be collected and stored within
a water catchment area
– The Amazon Basin is said to produce half of its rainfall
through the forest’s transpiration process in the water
cycle
Countries
surrounding the
Amazon
rainforest
depend on
water from the
Amazon Basin,
especially
during dry
seasons
The Amazon Basin has 7,000 tributaries
• Mass clearing of trees disrupts the water cycle
• When trees are removed, a drier climate and drier
soils might occur as the ground no longer contains
and receives as much water
• In turn, this results in decreased water supply and
higher water prices
– In Tanzania, deforestation caused by charcoal production is
predicted to reduce ½ of its catchment area by 2020.
The cost of water is expected to rise by four times!
Increased risk of flooding, soil erosion and
sedimentation
• When trees are cleared, the ground is left bare
• Rainwater falls directly on the ground and flows over
the surface more rapidly as surface runoff
• This causes flooding in the surrounding areas
sedimentation
sedimentation
• Soil erosion is the removal of the top layers of soil by
rainwater, wind and destructive human activities
(logging)
• When the trees are removed, land becomes exposed
• Water washes the soil away when it rains
sedimentation
The Great Red Island in
Madagascar has lost so
much soil to erosion
(400 tonnes for every
0.01 km2) that its rivers
are blood-red, affecting
even the surrounding
Indian Ocean
sedimentation
• Eroded soil is often washed into rivers, increasing
the amount of sediments in the rivers
• This affects water quality and aquatic life
• The increased amount of sediments smothers fish
eggs, resulting in lower hatch rates
• Also, it turns water cloudy and prevents sunlight
from penetrating the water
sedimentation
Sediments enter
the sea
Coral reefs get suffocated
Sediments will eventually

settle and accumulate
Enhanced greenhouse effect
• The earth’s atmosphere keeps the earth warm
enough for us to live
• When the sun’s rays pass through the atmosphere
and strike the surface of the earth, part of the heat is
absorbed by the earth
• The rest of the heat is reflected back into the
atmosphere, towards space
• As heat passes through the atmosphere, greenhouse
gases (e.g. carbon dioxide, methane, water vapour
and some other gases) in the atmosphere trap some
of the heat and prevent it from escaping into space
• This causes the warming of the atmosphere and is
known as the greenhouse effect
• Without the greenhouse effect, the earth’s average
temperature will be −18°C rather than the current
15°C
• The amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
has increased because of human activities
• This has led to a rise in the earth’s average
temperature as more heat is trapped in the
atmosphere  Enhanced greenhouse effect
• Deforestation is one of the human activities
contributing to the enhanced greenhouse effect
• Deforestation increases the amount of carbon
dioxide in the atmosphere
• Scientists estimate that about 4.8 billion tonnes of
carbon dioxide are absorbed by tropical rainforests
every year where the Amazon rainforest is the
biggest store of carbon
Deforestation of
tropical
rainforest
contributes
significantly to
the total
amount of
carbon dioxide
released into
the atmosphere
• The enhanced greenhouse effect affects people and
the environment
For example
• Increased temperatures can cause ice caps to melt
• Results in a rise in sea levels and flooding of low-lying
coastal areas
• Low-lying islands (Kiribati and Vanuatu in the Pacific
Ocean) may be submerged and disappear into the sea
• As such, people living on these islands may lose their
homes
Economic impact
Depletion of natural resources
• Natural resource: Anything from the natural
environment that people can use to satisfy their
needs such as food, shelter, clothing, air and water
• Tropical rainforests provide important natural
resources (timber, food and water) that contribute
greatly to the economic growth of many countries
• Rapid deforestation often destroys the rainforest
faster than it can replenish itself
Economic impact
Depletion of natural resources
Earnings of
industries that rely
on rainforest
resources get
affected
e.g. timber trade
Social impact
Effects on indigenous people
The Guarani
community is living in
makeshift camps
because parts of the
forest were cleared for
sugarcane plantations,
displacing these people
from their homes in
the tropical rainforest
Social impact
Effects on indigenous people
• Cutting down rainforests to create land for
plantations or mining affects the lives of indigenous
people
• They lose their homes and are forced to adapt to a
new way of living to survive
• Traditionally, they live in harmony and obtain
everything they need (food, shelter) from the forest
• This displacement often causes indigenous tribes to
disperse and cultures to disappear
• The impact of deforestation can be devastating.
However, people have different views towards this
issue
Palm oil production in Sarawak, Malaysia
• Malaysia is the world’s second largest producer of palm
oil
• Currently, 40,000 km2 of the land in Peninsular Malaysia
are planted with oil palms
• New plantations have sprouted in Sarawak as land is
used up in Peninsular Malaysia
• In 2010, Sarawak was predicted to become Malaysia’s
largest palm oil producer by the end of this decade
Tropical Rainforest
Questions:
environment?
6. How should we manage
deforestation?
The worrying state of our world’s rainforests
signals a need for action!
The blue line shows the amount of forests that will be lost from 2012 onwards if we do nothing and continue with deforestation.
The red line shows a target we can meet if we take action.
deforestation?
International Year of Forests (IYF) 2011
• Named by the UN to raise
awareness about deforestation
and promote forest conservation
around the world
• Conservation: Protecting the
environment and its natural
resources from harm which
involves maintenance,
restoration and wise
management of resources to
avoid permanent depletion of
resources
deforestation?
International Year of Forests (IYF) 2011
• Sustainable resource management: Careful use of
resources (e.g. protecting forests) to ensure their
availability in the future
• Governments need to be actively involved in passing
laws to ensure resources are sustainably managed
• Each of us plays an important role in conserving the
forests
deforestation?
Managing deforestation in the Amazon

• Protection of forested areas
• Reforestation
• Controlled logging
• Public education
deforestation?
Protection of forested areas
Protection of forested areas: Setting of laws to protect
an area from unfavourable activities which might
endanger the biodiversity and natural resources found
in the area
• Unsustainable logging and agricultural practices are
banned
• Indigenous and traditional communities living in these
areas are preserved
deforestation?
Protection of forested areas
Central Amazon Conservation Complex
• Largest protected area (60,000 km2) in the Amazon Basin
– highest biodiversity in the world
• Four protected areas in the complex
– Some of these areas conserve biodiversity through
working with indigenous communities
– Some are protected for research and education
– Others are totally protected
deforestation?
Reforestation
Reforestation: Planting of trees in areas where the
original forest has been cleared
• Often involves non-profit organisations, companies and
local communities
• Takes a long time – 15 years for a rainforest canopy to
form
deforestation?
Managing deforestation in
the Amazon
Reforestation
Reforestation in Peru
• Organised by LATA (Latin
America Travel Association)
Foundation
• Large amount of the money
goes back to the local
communities through the
purchase of seedlings and
planting of trees
• 70,000 trees were planted in
2011
deforestation?
Controlled logging
Careful management of forests that are being logged
• Logging allowed only in certain areas
• Has to be done in a sustainable manner
e.g. only selected plant species can be logged
deforestation?
Controlled logging
There are several ways to control logging:
• Penalties (fines and imprisonment) enforced on
irresponsible timber companies that carry out illegal
logging
• Education and research programmes
– Inform timber companies of the damage caused
– Discuss measures to manage extent of damage
• Cutting down selected species of trees
deforestation?
Controlled logging
Timeline shows the action taken by the Brazilian
government to control logging in the Amazon
deforestation?
Controlled logging
The Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable
Natural Resources
• Programme: Every tree that is logged is accounted for
• Prevents total clearance of a forest
• Benefits shared with locals who help run this programme
deforestation?
Public education
• People’s attitudes and practices towards rainforests
need to be changed
• People need to be told of the importance of
rainforests and ways to contribute to conserving
rainforests
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)

• Produces publications which provide current information
about the state of the rainforest
deforestation?
Public education
Ecotourism
• MT Amazon Expeditions organises
trips to parts of the Amazon
rainforest
– Activities include natural history
study, bird watching, kayaking,
photography
– Money raised goes back into
research and conservation of the
rainforest
deforestation?
Public education
Amazonia in Singapore Exhibition
• Embassy of Brazil in Singapore launched the exhibition
• Showcased the biodiversity of the rainforest and
raised awareness of management and conservation
strategies
– Multi-sensory experience of the rainforest
– Photographs of indigenous communities and artefacts
– Sustainable fashion pieces
deforestation?
deforestation?
Conserving tropical rainforests in Singapore
• Protection of forested area
• Reforestation
Before 1819: 82% of the island covered with tropical

rainforests
1800s: Forests were cleared to make way for
plantations and development of a colony
By 1890: 90% of all the vegetation had been cleared
Today: Only a small amount of rainforests remain
deforestation?
Protection of forested area
• Tropical rainforests are protected as nature reserves
by the Parks and Trees Act 2005
• They are set aside for the conservation of native
biodiversity, education, research and recreation
• Main nature reserves: Bukit Timah Nature Reserve
and Central Catchment Nature Reserve
deforestation?
Conserving tropical
rainforests in Singapore
The Parks and Trees Act 2005
contains guidelines for
visitors to the nature
reserves to minimise
disturbance to the rainforest.
deforestation?
Eco-Link
• Built between the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and the
Central Catchment Nature Reserve
• Links the two nature reserves separated by the Bukit
Timah Expressway (BKE)
• Purpose:
– Enables animals, birds and insects to move freely along the
connecting bridge
– Allows for the effective exchange of native plant and
animal genetic material between the two nature reserves
deforestation?
Reforestation
• Helps improve the condition of the forests where
some areas had poor soil and vegetation due to
unsustainable agricultural practices and collection
of firewood in the past
Since 1991, National Parks Board (NParks) together with
students, volunteers and organisations have replanted 15
hectares of the nature reserve with 17,000 saplings of 150
native species
deforestation?
Reforestation
• Intends to conserve and recover native plant species
For example:
• The rainforest in the Singapore Botanic Gardens was
reforested because more than 80% of its plants are
rare or endangered (e.g. Meranti Laut)
• Forests of Giants: Emergent trees are reintroduced to
Singapore forests
deforestation?
Public education
Singapore government aims to promote people’s
understanding of our forests by:
• Increasing appreciation, awareness and understanding of
nature through public seminars, road shows and events
• Promoting volunteerism through biodiversity interest
groups
• Incorporating elements of biodiversity conservation into
the school curriculum
deforestation?
Public education
• Trails and guided walks in the nature reserves
– Inform the public about the biodiversity of the
rainforests
• Internet
– Widely used tool for educating the public about
Singapore’s biodiversity
– Websites contain articles, photographs and
information on upcoming nature-related events in
Singapore
deforestation?
What are the benefits and challenges of
measures that manage deforestation?
• Protection of forested areas
• Reforestation
• Controlled Logging
deforestation?
Protection of forested areas (Benefits)
• Important in the conservation of our indigenous
ecosystems and native biodiversity
• Useful for educational and recreational purposes,
and scientific study
• Has helped to reduce deforestation in the Amazon
deforestation?
Protection of forested areas (Challenges)
• Protected areas are not fenced and are still
vulnerable to human impact
• In the Amazon, officers responsible for monitoring
the protected areas may give in to corruption and
allow loggers and miners to illegally enter protected
areas
deforestation?
Protection of forested areas (Challenges)
• There are not enough forest rangers to patrol the
huge areas of the Amazon rainforest  families
illegally settling in the protected areas
• In Singapore, there is a need to balance development
and biodiversity conservation
deforestation?
Reforestation (Benefits)
• Soil fertility can be improved which In the long term
helps sustain plant growth in the area
• Reduces erosion, maintains the water cycle, and
preserves the rainforest habitat and biodiversity
• Creates more jobs for local communities e.g.
producing seedlings to plant, tour guiding
deforestation?
Reforestation (Challenges)
• Can be expensive and time-consuming
• Depends on the availability of native plants for
reforestation
deforestation?
Controlled logging (Benefits)
• Greater control of illegal logging has led to a
decrease in deforestation in the Amazon
• In recent years, Brazil’s environmental enforcement
agency has stopped several illegal loggers
deforestation?
Controlled logging (Challenges)
• Identifying and logging selected trees is time-
consuming and difficult to implement
• Areas designated for controlled logging in the
Amazon still face threats from illegal loggers as the
rainforest covers a large area, making it difficult to
track illegal loggers
deforestation?
Public education (Benefits)
• Has far-reaching effects, especially in the long term
where it can help to change people’s mindsets, and
increase awareness, understanding and appreciation
of forests
• Knowledge and awareness can lead to action and
participation from the community
deforestation?
Public education (Challenges)
• Turning environmental awareness into personal
behaviour and action is difficult
• Raising awareness is difficult in some countries with
low literacy rates
• Many of the countries around the Amazon rely on
the rainforest and these countries obtain income
from exports derived from the rainforest
Discussion
What can you, as an individual, do to contribute
to the global/local efforts to save the rainforest?

Sec 1 Rainforests

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Sec 1 Rainforests

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Sec 1 Rainforests

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Chapter 3

Which photo do you think shows a tropical rainforest?

Which photo do you think shows a tropical rainforest?

Satellite image of Singapore

Where are the tropical rainforest located in Singapore?

• Canopy layer (20–30 m)

• Undergrowth layer (below 20 m)

Trees stop rain from reaching the ground directly

Water slowly drips from the trees

25% of all modern

An area in the Amazon rainforest

World distribution of tropical rainforests

At least 320 km2 of tropical rainforest disappear each day

Areas of tropical rainforest that have been deforested

Tropical rainforest loss in some countries

As a result, the rate of deforestation has increased

An oil palm plantation in Indonesia

Commercial logging is responsible

• Plants of medicinal value are lost when a single tree

Sediments will eventually

Managing deforestation in the Amazon

World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)

Before 1819: 82% of the island covered with tropical

You might also like